Character  Training 


U,  Hari>y  Clark,  M.  D. 


A  System  of 


Character  Training 
of  Children 


BY 


G.  Hardy  Clark,  M.  D. 


PRESS  OF 

SEASIDE   PRINTING  CO. 

1921 


Copyright,  1921 

by 

O.  Hardy  Clark,  M.  D. 


••  •  ;  •••     •  •  .     •   • 


This  book  is  aifectionately  inscribed  to  my 
wife  and  co-worker,  Margaret  Vaupel  Clark, 
M.D.,  whose  many  valued  contributions  to 
our  common  service  have  done  much  to  de- 
velop this  system  of  child  training. 


44042S 


Preface. 

The  life  of  the  child  may  be  saved  to  human  usefulness 
through  training  during  the  early  months  of  his  existence. 
At  his  birth  he  should,  therefore,  be  solemnly  dedicated  to 
the  highest  ideals  of  service  his  parents  and  the  public  can 
hope  for  him.  All  the  forces  of  his  home  and  of  society 
should  then  be  directed  to  teaching  him  those  constructive 
social  actions  that  make  for  character  development. 

The  steps  proposed  in  this  system  of  training  arc  so 
necessary  to  the  control  of  the  fundamental  conditions 
affecting  social  stability  that  It  seems  evident  the  greatest 
public  and  private  efforts  should  be  concentrated  upon 
putting  them  into  effective  operation.  The  rapidly  in- 
creasing flow  of  humanity  to  the  divorce  court,  jail,  juve- 
nile asylum  and  the  insane  hospital  must  be  stopped,  in 
the  imperative  interests  of  public  safety.  It  Is  the  confi- 
dent belief  of  the  writer  that  It  can  be  stopped  through 
the  proper  care  and  training  of  children. 

Long  Beach,  Calif.,  April,  1921. 


Character  Training  of  Children, 

Parents  are  aware  that  it  is  not  alone  what  a  child  knows, 
but  rather  what  he  gladly  does,  that  makes  for  character, 
though  they  commonly  fail  to  use  a  carefully  defined  plan 
to  train  him  in  the  performance  of  social  acts  that  are  nec- 
essary to  insure  his  welfare.  The  great  social  diseases,  such 
as  lying,  stealing,  prostitution,  cruelty  and  destructiveness, 
usually  result  from  bad  training,  or  the  lack  of  training,  of 
the  orderly  association  of  hand  and  brain  in  the  acquire- 
ment of  character  qualities.  When  this  orderly  association 
is  properly  taught  at  an  early  age  parents  may  be  reasonably 
sure  that  their  child  will  live  in  peace  and  harmony  with 
his  fellow  men. 

For  the  reason  that  social  acts  are  largely  acquired 
through  the  faculty  of  imitation,  the  greatest  care  must  be 
exercised  by  parents  to  live  aright,  that  the  child  may  be 
guided  aright.  Parental  disorderliness,  including  the  scowl, 
the  harsh  voice,  the  offensive  tone  of  authority  and  the 
quick  act  of  vengeance,  are  readily  copied  by  the  child  and 
immediately  become  a  part  of  his  being.  Fortunately, 
orderly,  restrained  behavior,  the  smile  and  simple  courtesy, 
are  equally  contagious  and  readily  expand  his  life  into  social 
and  physical  health.  The  character  of  the  child  is  there- 
fore, with  few  qualifications,  a  correct  measure  of  the  habits 
of  life  and  the  methods  of  training  used  by  his  parents,  and 
society  must  hold  them  responsible  for  the  results  obtained. 

That  he  may  become  a  good  citizen  a  child  must  be 
taught  to  carefully  perform  a  multitude  of  social  acts  that 
have  been  adopted  by  family  and  community  life,  and  these 
acts  must  be  repeated  by  the  child  until  they  have  become 
habitual  to  him.  When  this  stage  has  been  reached  he  will 
take  real  physical  pleasure  in  performing  the  usual  social 
functions,  and  will  be  further  gratified  by  receiving  the 
commendation  of  his  fellows. 

7 


Character   Training    of    Children 


He  Must  Care  for  His  Own  Person  and  Needs. 

The  first  of  these  social  functions  is  that  he  shall  care  for 
his  own  person  and  needs.  If  he  does  not  do  this  he  will 
be  a  drag  and  a  detriment  to  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact.  His  brain  will  fail  to  develop  the  qualities  of 
initiative  and  responsibility.  He  will  not  learn  the  com- 
munity valuations  of  time  and  self-help.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  is  permitted  to  cleanse  and  clothe  himself  as  he 
sees  others  about  him  doing,  the  child  experiences  the  joy 
of  accomplishment.  He  feels  that  he  is  a  member  of 
society.  He  has  joined  others  in  the  performance  of  a 
great  social  act,  and  he  likes  the  game.  To  the  child  mind 
the  processes  of  cleansing  and  clothing  himself  are  full  of 
mysteries  and  surprises.  As  he  unravels  these  mysteries 
and  straightens  out  his  physical  problems  he  gradually 
adopts  a  system  in  which  his  fingers  and  brain  act  as  one 
organ.  With  system  comes  the  saving  of  time,  and  thus 
promptness  becomes  a  habit  of  mind. 

A  great  fundamental  virtue  is  taught  the  child  by  simply 
permitting  him  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  to  use 
his  hands  and  brain  in  the  care  of  himself.  Parents  who 
do  the  thinking  and  acting  for  their  children  miss  this 
truth.  They  too  often  use  him  as  a  doll,  a  plaything,  and 
before  they  arc  aware  of  it  the  moment  passes  when  the 
child  wants  to  do  for  himself  to  the  time  when  he  wants 
others  to  do  for  him.  After  that  moment  the  natural 
yearning  to  be  an  independent  social  being  will  not  return 
in  full  force.  His  hand  will  never  be  quite  so  useful  nor 
his  brain  quite  so  willing  to  do  a  helpful  act. 

At  about  the  second  month  the  child  should  have, 
through  the  use  of  his  hands  and  eyes,  a  few  simple  lessons 
in  distances.  He  should  be  permitted  to  touch  smooth  and 
rough    things;    soft    and    hard    things;    light    and    heavier 


Character   Training   of    Children  9 

things.  At  the  third  month  he  should  readily  grasp  objects 
of  different  sizes  and  weights  held  at  varying  distances 
from  him.  He  should  find  his  legs,  put  the  feeding  bottle 
to  his  mouth,  and  use  the  vessel.  Every  touch  with  the 
fingers  and  act  of  his  muscles  carry  to  his  brain  cells  an 
impression  that  arouses  them  to  activity  and  educates  them 
to  accomplish  some  purpose  in  life.  At  the  age  of  six 
mpnths  his  hands  should  be  familiar  with  practically  all 
the  objects  about  the  house.  He  should  handle  cur- 
tains, touch  pictures,  and  know  the  feel  of  dishes  and 
spoons.  He  should  be  given  large  marbles,  blocks  and 
other  toys  to  play  with.  He  should  knov/  where  the  clock, 
fi'sh-globe,  and  other  objects  are  located  when  they  are 
named. ,  This  is  the  age  when  he  should  be  taught  con- 
structive and  purposeful  movements.  He  should  put  out 
both  arms  to  be  taken,  and  perform  other  simple  co-ordi- 
nated acts.  Before  he  is  nine  months  old  he  should  pat-a- 
cake,  wave  greetings,  kiss  the  hand,  play  peek-a-boo,  pile 
one  block  on  another,  and  find  his  own  teeth,  hair  and 
tongue.  At  this  age,  also,  he  should  pull  off  his  own  shoes 
and  stockings,  and  know  why  he  is  doing  it.  At  twelve 
months  he  should  seriously  assist  in  dressing  and  undress- 
ing himself,  and  at  fifteen  months  he  should  button  and 
unbutton  his  clothes  and  properly  lay  away  his  shoes  for 
the  night.  At  eighteen  months  he  should  have  solved  the 
m.ystery  of  safety-pins  and  the  use  of  a  pocket  and  a  pocket 
handkerchief.  From  the  mere  art  and  science  of  dressing 
himself  he  should,  when  he  is  two  years  old,  have  passed 
to  the  stage  of  sewing  on  missing  buttons  and  sewing 
together  pieces  of  cloth.  The  workmanship  will  not  be 
neat  or  serviceable,  but  he  will  enjoy  the  privilege  of  trying 
to  do  these  things. 

At  the  twenty-seventh  month  he  should  give  intelligent 
help  when  being  bathed,  and  should  wash  his  hands  clean 
with  soap  and  water,  particularly  when  coming  from  the 
toilet.  If  he  has  been  given  full  use  of  his  hands  they 
will  be  very  skillful  and  his  mind  will  be  very  keen.  He 
will  cut  out  pictures  from  magazines  and  paste  them  into 


10  Character   Training    of    Children 

scrapbooks  with  accuracy.  He  will  follow  his  teacher's 
lead  in  arranging  in  the  book  pictures  illustrating  a  selected 
subject.  At  thirty-one  months  he  will  cut  letters  of  the 
alphabet  from  thin  cardboard,  and  at  thirty-four  months 
he  will  readily  arrange  them  into  words  of  one  syllable. 
And  now  the  child  has  arrived  at  the  age  when  he  can  justly 
claim  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  citizen  who  can  take 
care  of  his  own  person,  for  when  he  is  three  years  old  he 
should  be  able  to  take  his  own  bath,  dress  him^self  and  brush 
his  teeth  in  a  workmanlike  manner.  At  night  his  shoes  will 
be  placed  side  by  side  near  the  bed,  and  his  clothes  will  be 
systematically  hung  upon  a  chair,  where  they  will  be  pro- 
perly aired  and  protected  from  injury. 

As  a  result  of  performing  the  necessary  functions  of  life 
m  an  orderly  w^ay,  the  child  will  have  an  orderly  rnind, 
which,  once  established,  will  never  become  really  disorderly. 
And  all  this  will  be  accomplished  through  play.  It  will  be 
the  result  of  the  fun  of  copying  his  parents;  of  standing  or 
sitting  beside  them,  and  sharing  with  his  fingers  the  things 
they  do  with  theirs.  This  is  the  real  secret  of  the  joy  in  a 
child's  life.  It  is  to  share  life  on  equal  terms  with  others. 
The  face  of  the  trained  child  is  full  of  eagerness  and  sure- 
ness  of  himself.  His  arms  and  hands  will  not  hang 
listlessly  from  his  shoulders,  for  every  muscle  in  them  is 
trained  and  tensed  by  healthful  use.  His  fingers  will  look 
as  if  they  could  do  things,  and  they  can  do  things.  He  is 
up  to  the  grade  of  a  trained  child  of  his  age.  He  is  not 
thirty-six  months  old,  chronologically,  and  but  eighteen 
months  old  in  character  training.  He  has  passed  through 
his  kindergarten  and  grammar-school  stage  of  training  in 
the  care  of  his  person  and  needs,  and  is  keen  for  what  his 
parents  have  next  in  store  for  him.  Parents  who  have 
neglected  the  early  education  of  their  children  have  forever 
lost  invaluable  opportunities.  With  intelligent  training 
such  children  may  be  brought  up  to  grade,  but  the  neglected 
brain  cells  wi-11  never  be  quite  what  they  would  have  been 
under  happier  conditions  of  development. 


Character   Training   of    Children  11 


He  Must  Resist  Temptations.         -  - 

When  and  how  should  a  child  be  taught  self-restraint? 
He  certainly  should  not  be  permitted  to  follow  impulses 
that  will  lead  him  into  acts  that  are  harmful  to  himself  and 
to  others.  He  must  be  so  taught  that  he  will  control  his 
m.any  and  often  vaguely  understood  impulses,  and  make 
them  his  servants.  He  must  learn  that  there  is  a  time  for 
exercising  each  of  his  different  functions,  and  that  he  must 
control  impulses  to  abuse  them  and  to  use  them  out  of 
season.  All  this  is  best  accomplished  in  earliest  childhood 
by  training  his  system  to  regular  habits.  He  should  be  fed 
at  exact  periods  of  time.  He  should  be  required  to  rest  at 
hours  suited  to  his  age.  He  should  be  bathed,  and  his 
bowels  should  be  moved  at  properly  selected  times.  He 
should  hear  quiet,  orderly  voices,  and  see  quiet,  orderly 
persons  about  him.  Orderly  habits  established  in  this  way 
insure  the  nervous  stability  and  systerfiatized  mental 
restraints  that  are  necessary  to  good  citizenship. 

If  the  child  has  always  been  fed  at  regular  intervals  he 
will  not  care  to  eat  between  meals,  and,  though  he  may  see 
others  doing  it,  his  training  in  physical  orderliness  will  act 
as  a  restraint  from  doing  as  they  do.  It  is  true  that  he 
will  be  tempted  by  their  example,  and  he  may  fall.  But 
behind  that  moment  of  temptation  and  loss  is  a  long  line 
of  orderly  actions,  of  rhythm,  of  built  up  restraints. 
These  are  true  character  qualities,  and  they  may  be  relied 
upon  to  help  him  to  abstain  from  this  and  from  other 
injurious  practices,  and  to  put  him  upon  his  moral  footing 
again  when  he  has  failed.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  not 
difficult  to  teach  a  normal  child  that  he  shall  not  eat  between 
meals.  After  the  parents  fully  determine  to  carry  out  this 
plan,  the  results  are  practically  assured.  When  the 
untrained  child  comes  home  from  school,  clamoring  for  a 
piece  of  pie  or  a  slice  of  bread,  he  should  be  given  a  glass 
of  water  to  quiet  his  mental  and  physical  discomforts,  and 
then  he  should  be  encouraged  to  live  on  in  the  calm  cer- 
tainty that  he  will  not  starve  before  the  hour  of  supper. 


12  Character   Training   of    Children 

The  parents  should  not  compromise  by  giving  him  an 
orange,  a  cooky,  or  a  glass  of  milk,  for  In  doing  so  not 
only  would  they  do  the  child  a  physical  harm,  but  they 
wouid  also  fail  In  a  great  moral  duty  to  him.  When  a 
child  has  come  to  easily  and  habitually  refrain  from  eating 
between  meals,  he  has  generally  acquired  sufficient  will 
power  to  refrain  from  rich  and  indigestible  food  at  the 
table  when  told  he  should  not  have  it.  This  acquired  will 
to  resist  eating  at  wrong  seasons  permits  the  child  to  pass 
peanut  and  popcorn  stands,  and  candy  shops  and  soda  foun- 
tains, without  a  thought  of  falling  from  grace.  He  is  also 
not  an  easy  victim,  to  the  social  vices  and  unrestrained 
desires  of  v/eaker  child  and  adult  companions.  He  will 
carry  home  for  the  family  table  presents  of  candy  and  food 
given  him  by  neighbors,  and  they  will  learn,  in  time,  that 
it  is  not  fair  to  urge  these  things  upon  him.  And  so,  as  he 
grows  stable,  his  parents  will  acquire  greater  confidence  In 
him,  and  he  will  acquire  greater  confidence  In  himself.  The 
doing  of  these  seemingly  small  daily  duties  In  an  earnest 
and  correct  way  will  lead  to  an  earnest  and  correct  way  of 
taking  up  the  larger  responsibilities  of  life.  And  the 
parents,  as  they  teach,  will  also  learn. 

He  Must  Help  Maintain  the  Home. 

As  primitive  m.an  developed  social  qualities  he  accepted 
certain  duties  toward  the  care  of  his  family.  He  had  to 
establish  and  maintain  a  hut  or  cave.  He  had  to  share  Its 
advantages  with  his  family,  as  well  as  his  proprietary  Inter- 
ests In  it.  This  meant  that,  eventually,  every  member  of 
the  family  had  to  contribute  toward  keeping  it  habitable 
and  clean.  Any  one  who  failed  to  fulfill  these  requirements 
in  fact  and  in  spirit  was  not  a  good  social  factor  in  the 
home,  nor  could  he  extend  real  social  culture  In  his  com- 
munity. As  the  ethical  and  sanitary  requirements  increased 
with  social  development,  the  home  finally  became  the  sure 
center  of  hum.an  culture  and  refinement,  the  school  of  right 
living. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  child  should  be   filled 


Character  Training   of    Children  13 

with  the  knowledge  that  his  shelter  and  all  that  Is  In  it 
belongs  to  the  whole  family,  and  that  all  should^sharc 
equally  In  caring  for  It.  The  parents  should  say  to  the 
child,  ''Let  us  sweep  the  floor,"  ''Let  us  dust  the  furniture," 
"Let  us  pick  up  the  litter,"  "Let  us  wash  the  dishes  and 
put  them  in  the  cupboard."  The  spirit  of  co-operation  and 
the  sense  of  equal  responsibility  is  wholly  lost  when  the 
child  Is  coaxed,  directed,  ordered,  or  hired  to  do  anything 
in  the  house  or  about  the  premises.  Housekeeping  is  a 
pleasure  when  father,  mother  and  child  work  together.  It 
is  an  interesting  game  to  children  whose  parents  have  not 
forgotten  how  to  play.  When  the  child  is  fourteen  months 
old  he  should  be  given  a  cloth  with  which  to  help  his 
parents  dust  the  furniture.  The  cloth  should  be  his  indi- 
vidual property  and  should  be  kept  where  he  can  reach  It. 
A  little  flour  may  be  put  on  rounds  of  a  few  chairs  at  first, 
so  that  he  will  readily  see  the  object  for  dusting,  and  then 
he  should  be  permitted  to  join  the  family  In  its  daily  work 
of  cleaning  house. 

At  fifteen  months  of  age  he  should  be  regularly  commis- 
sioned to  carry  glasses  of  water  to  and  from  the  table,  and 
to  help  wipe  splashes  of  water  from  the  floor.  As  in  the 
whole  system  of  training,  these  things  should  be  done  by 
team  work  in  which  the  child  is  a  trusted  and  important 
member.  However  it  Is  evident  that  he  should  not  be  made 
more  Important  and  conspicuous  than  others,  for  then  the 
spirit  of  equal  community  service  Is  lost,  and  training  may 
easily  degenerate  into  a  show  of  smartness,  a  mockery  and 
a  joke. 

When  two  years  old  he  will  voluntarily  pick  threads  and 
bits  of  paper  from  the  floor  and  put  them  Into  the  waste 
basket,  for  at  this  age  he  will  have  fully  caught  the  spirit 
of  orderliness  and  service.  At  twenty-seven  months  he 
should  be  permitted  to  wash  a  few  dishes,  and  at  thirty-one 
months  he  may  be  trusted  to  pick  over  beans,  break  spa- 
ghetti and  do  similar  work.     When  the  age  of  four  years  Is 


14  Character   Training    of    Children 

reached  he  will  be  helping  with  intelligence  and  skill  in  all 
parts  of  the  house. 

There  need  be  no  fear  that  the  child  will  be  overworked 
by  this  process  of  training  if  the  element  of  drudgery  is 
never  permitted  to  enter  into  the  game.  He  will  not  be 
overtrained,  for  he  is  not  likely  to  greatly  excel  his  teachers 
in  efficiency.  He  will  not  be  too  courteous,  for  the  atmos- 
phere of  his  home  will,  with  extreme  infrequency,  permit  of 
overgrowth  in  that  respect.  The  parents'  best  efforts  in 
service,  cheer  and  love  may  therefore  be  freely  expended  in 
systematic  character  building  without  a  thought  of  getting 
results  beyond  those  that  are  in  every  way  healthful  to  the 
normal  child.  His  judgment  should  at  all  times  be  given 
respectful  attention,  and  experimental  efforts  on  his  part 
should  be  encouraged  in  so  far  as  they  do  not  interfere  with 
the  general  scheme  of  co-operative  work.  The  right  to 
private  opinion  should  be  carefully  guarded,  and  the  privi- 
lege of  independent  action  should  be  guided  rather  than 
suppressed  and  overruled  by  force  of  authority. 

He  Must  Respect  The  Property  Rights  of  Others. 

A  child  that  is  taught  to  share  labors  fairly  with  his  par- 
ents acquires  practical  knowledge  of  social  justice.  He  comes 
to  respect  labor  for  what  it  really  is,  for  he  earns  his  re- 
wards of  comimendation  and  satisfaction  with  his  hands, 
and  is  considerate  of  others  who  also  secure  in  this  way  the 
fruits  of  their  labors.  And  thus  it  is  that  he  will  not  beg, 
tease  or  cry  for  money  that  is  not  due  him,  nor  will  he 
forcibly  take  a  toy  or  other  property  from  a  playmate  who 
justly  holds  it.  Nev^er  having  practiced  other  than  equal 
justice,  he  will  not  be  disposed  to  acquire  property  through 
unfair  trades  or  by  playing  unfair  games.  In  the  acquire- 
ment of  property,  primitive  man  knew  only  the  law  of  the 
club.  It  was  after  a  long  period  of  time  that  he  finally 
acquired  a  fair  appreciation  of  the  equal  rights  of  others, 
and  this  through  common  toil  with  them,  and  through  shar- 
ing their  reverses  as  well  as  their  successes. 


Character   Training    of    Children  15 

He  Must  Be  Taught  The  Uses  Of  Money. 

In  establishing  the  sense  of  the  collective  family  responsi- 
bility in  the  home,  and  in  apportioning  the  expense  of  main- 
taining it,  it  is  highly  desirable  to  impress  upon  the  mind 
of  the  child  the  interest  all  must  take  in  the  money  that 
comes  into  the  home  for  family  use.  He  should  know  that 
this  does  not  belong  to  one  member  of  the  family  or  to  any 
group  in  the  family.  It  belongs  to  all  alike,  and  a  part 
of  it  should  be  divided  among  them  in  proportion  to  the 
needs  of  each,  and  the  remainder  m.ust  be  conserved  for  the 
interests  of  all.  The  amount  allotted  to  each  child  should 
be  handed  to  him  at  a  fixed  time  each  week.  If  he  is  given 
three  pennies  he  should  put  one  into  his  bank.  Another 
penny  he  should  expend  upon  his  family  and  friends,  or 
give  to  some  organized  service  or  charity.  The  third  penny 
should  be  reserved  for  some  useful  personal  expenditure. 
His  allotment  should  be  made  larger  as  his  needs  increase, 
and  should  be  proportioned  to  meet  the  requirements  of  his 
expanding  life. 

In  the  expenditure  of  money  for  toys  and  clothing  the 
child  should  be  given  a  very  large  latitude  for  the  exercise 
of  his  judgment.  Mistakes  in  purchasing  are  unfortunate 
but  have,  after  all,  a  high  educational  value,  and  when  they 
are' made  in  early  life  with  small  sums  at  stake  the  child 
may  get  much  information  for  a  small  outlay  of  cash.  It 
is  not  impossible  for  a  child  of  five  years  of  age  to  be  a 
very  clever  buyer  of  the  small  family  necessities  if  he  has 
been  taught  the  values  of  things  at  the  market.  When  he 
buys  toys  and  clothing  for  himself  wnth  money  he  has  saved 
for  these  purposes,  he  will  not  only  use  care  in  the  selection 
of  them,  but  he  will  value  and  protect  them  afterward.  The 
parent  who  carelessly  gives  toys  and  clothing  to  his  child 
very  seriously  impairs  the  latter's  appreciation  of  values, 
and  may  utterly  destroy  it.  If  this  is  done  to  any  child  he 
will  in  time  do  harm  to  the  community  interests,  for  they 
are  directly  opposed  to  the  careless  spending  of  money  and 
to  wasting  other  forms  of  property. 


16  Character   Training    of    Children 

He  Must  Accept  Responsibility  For  His  Acts. 
'  The  way  has  been  long  and  hard  which  man  has  traveled 
toward  the  ready  acceptance  of  responsibility  for  his  acts. 
He  is  still  prone  to  put  the  blame  for  his  own  accidents, 
mistakes  and  misdeeds  upon  inanimate  objects,  and  upon  his 
wife,  his  child,  his  neighbor,  his  government  and  the  unkind 
disposition  of  providence.  It  is  because  of  his  own  imper- 
fections in  this  respect,  perhaps,  that  he  is  a  poor  teacher  of 
children  in  the  value  of  frank  confession  and  the  exact  state- 
ment of  a  personal  error.  The  fear  of  disapproval  or  of 
actual  corporal  punishment  is  the  real  incentive  of  the  child 
to  postpone  telling  of  articles  he  has  broken  or  lost,  and 
even  to  deny  his  fault  altogether.  The  same  reason  may 
incline  him  to  deny  his  misdeeds,  his  accidents  and  his  really 
mischievous  acts.  If  the  mind  of  the  parent  itself  were  free 
from  this  primitive  crookedness,  if  he  were  wholly  frank, 
It  would  seem  that  the  clean  and  normal  minded  child  would 
be  glad  to  go  to  him  for  consolation  and  for  helpful  advice, 
and  that  he  would  get  it.  That  the  child  does  not  as  a  rule 
get  it,  is  a  most  serious  reflection  upon  the  unpreparedness 
of  parents  for  receiving  the  confidence  of  children. 

His  Dress  and  Ornamentation  Must  Conform  to 
Social  Usage. 
Social  usage  has  always  controlled  and  directed  dress  and 
personal  adornment.  It  has  forced  the  recognition  of  cloth- 
ing as  being  distinctive  of  the  mentality  and  pursuits  of  the 
individual.  With  quick  resentment  or  cynical  amusement 
society  punishes  the  overdressed  and  the  underdressed  cit- 
izen. It  points  with  disdain  to  immaturity  or  vulgarity  in 
a  silk  hat,  or  in  satin.  It  requires  of  its  people  appropriate 
clothing  for  work  in  the  soil  and  in  the  shop,  and  clean 
clothing  for  the  clean  home.  Modern  social  usage  permits 
but  it  does  not  sanction,  feathers  and  face  paints,  trinkets 
and  flashy  colors,  perfumes  and  more  obvious  sex  lures  in 
men  and  women.  It  recognizes,  and  is  quite  ready  to  pro- 
claim, that  these  reversions  from  the  normal  standards  in 
dress  and  ornamentation  distinctly  lower  the  moral  tone  of 
the  wearers  and  taint  the  social  organism.. 


Character   Training   of    Children  17 

Education  of  the  child,  therefore,  in  the  proper  clothing 
and  ornamentation  of  the  body  is  of  prime  importarrce  in 
character  development.  He  should  be  taught  the  uses  of 
pinafores  and  aprons.  He  should  learn  that  to  change  from 
his  better  clothing  to  his  play  or  work  clothing  at  an  appro- 
priate time  is  a  social  as  well  as  a  personal  duty.  The  fond 
parent  should  keep  steadily  in  mind  the  fact  that  an  over- 
large  red  ribbon  on  the  head  of  her  little  girl  will  not  insure 
social  distinction,  nor  will  the  consciousness  of  it  improve 
the  child's  intellectual  graces.  Too  often,  indeed,  the  parent 
dresses  her  as  though  she  were  a  doll  at  the  critical  moment 
when,  for  her  own  future  quiet  and  peace  of  mind,  she 
should  dress  her  in  a  most  plain  and  refined  manner. 

He  Must  Develop  Moral  Initiative. 

The  social  institutions  which  civilization  enjoys  have  been 
gradually  built  up  by  men  and  women  possessed  with  moral 
or  constructive  initiative.  They  have  promoted  that  which 
was  socially  good.  They  have  expended  efforts  in  a  syste- 
matic way  to  establish  ideals  of  life  in  the  minds  of  their 
fellows.  It  is  this  spirit  of  constructive  work  that  the  child 
should  be  taught.  He  should  have  constantly  in  his  mind 
the  fact  that  he  and  his  parents  arc  dealing  with  ideals  of 
domestic  helpfulness  and  harmony,  and  he  should  be  per- 
mitted to  lead,  as  far  as  is  possible,  in  carrying  out  these 
ideals.  He  should  be  encouraged  to  play  games  in  which 
evil  characters  do  not  occur;  in  which  there  is  no  killing, 
punishing,  lying  or  deception.  He  should  be  fair,  permit- 
ting his  playmates  all  the  rights  in  the  game  he  claims  for 
himself.  Any  tendency  he  may  have  to  be  unfair,  to  tease 
other  children  or  to  have  trouble  with  them  may  be  best 
corrected  by  prescribing  for  him  vigorous  supervised  games. 
The  kindergartens  and  grade  schools  furnish  such  play. 
Systematized  games  such  as  hand  ball,  basket  ball,  base  ball 
and  foot  ball  are  of  especial  value.  Here  he  will  be  taught 
self  restraint,  and  to  respect  the  rights  of  his  fellows.  Hav- 
ing finally  learned  to  control  his  tendency  toward  personal 
gains  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  interests  of  others  he  can  suc- 
cessfully play  in  games  where  the  general  good  of  the  team 


18  Character   Training    of    Children 

is  of  the  first  importance.  When  he  has  mastered  this  as 
well  as  the  principle  that  all  social  acts  promote  the  good  of 
individuals  only  when  the  general  good  is  also  advanced,  he 
is  in  a  position  to  exercise  true  moral  Initiative.  He  may 
now  with  safety  be  given  charge  of  the  work  and  play  of 
other  children,  with  assurance  that  he  will  Improve  rather 
than  debase  them. 

He  Must  Value  Time. 
A  child's  valuation  of  time  Is  directly  related  to  his  prac- 
tice of  social  observances.  If  he  has  not  been  trained  to 
have  active  constructive  relationships  with  his  fellows,  the 
passing  of  a  minute,  an  hour  or  a  day  will  have  little  sig- 
nificance to  him.  However,  if  he  is  a  cog  in  the  steadily 
moving  world  of  activity,  the  passing  of  a  minute,  an  hour 
or  a  day  becomes  a  matter  to  him  of  the  greatest  import- 
.-ance.  If  he  is  untrained  he  will  have  periods  of  apathy,  or 
oi  ineffective  restlessness.  He  will  loaf  on  his  job  and  waste 
time  in  useless  conversation.  He  will  be  observed  to  sit  In 
the  midst  of  dust  and  litter,  awaiting  a  more  favorable 
moment  to  clean  up  the  place.  Time  to  him  means  post- 
ponement of  action.  Urging  such  a  child  to  activity  Is  of 
little  use  If  he  Is  not  connected  up  with  the  social  units  of 
his  household.  There  is  no  short  cut  to  the  establishment 
of  character  qualities,  for  they  exist  only  In  a  mind  made 
orderly  by  systematic  training  in  social  duties. 

He  Must  Possess  Nervous  Stability. 

The  most  apparent  manifestations  of  nervous  Instability 
are  lack  of  ability  to  work  and  play  in  an  orderly,  patient 
way;  inability  to  finish  one  thing  before  beginning  another; 
dissociated  actions;  actions  based  upon  anger  and  other  In- 
stable mental  states.  All  of  these  are  very  greatly  improved 
by  the  pleasureable  use  of  the  mind  and  muscles  In  directed 
work  and  play,  and  v/hen  this  Is  carried  out  In  a  stimulating, 
orderly  way  it  becomes  the  prime  factor  In  conserving  and 
building  mental  and  physical  health. 

Facial  and  ocular  expression  is  intelligible  and  of  Ire- 
:mendous  value  to  the  parent  as  a  guide  in  training  children 


Character   Training    of    Children  19 

in  nervous  stability.  Even  the  least  keen  observers  recognize 
expressions  of  fatigue,  annoyance,  vexation  and  anger  irr  the 
face  of  the  young  child,  and  should  be  warned  by  these 
outward  manifestations  of  mental  distress  and  disorder  that 
steps  must  be  taken  to  control  them.  If  this  is  not  done 
nervous  instability  will  certainly  gain  a  greater  or  less  ascen- 
dency in  the  mind,  and  its  ascendency  will  be  read  in  the 
face  as  readily  as  it  is  observed  in  actions.  These  unsocial 
mental  states,  as  unhealthy  to  the  afflicted  individual  as  to 
society,  must  be  recognized  in  their  earliest  manifestations 
and  be  supplanted  by  the  substitution  of  cheerful,  helpful 
acts. 

To  simplify  the  summing  up  of  the  facial  expression  of 
her  child  the  parent  should  record  the  values  of  his  social 
acts  in  the  schedule  given  on  pages  twenty-six  to  twenty-eight, 
and  identify  the  grouping  of  facial  muscles  that  corresponds 
with  the  rating  accorded  the  child  in  each  section.  When  that 
is  done  she  can  safely  sum  up  in  the  face  his  percentage  value 
as  a  social  factor.  In  the  actual  scoring  of  the  child  this, 
the  tenth  section,  always  closely  approximates  ten  per  cent 
of  the  total  score.  That  is,  if  the  child's  social  or  character 
score  totals  forty  per  cent  the  score  of  the  section  will  be 
four  per  cent,  while  if  his  total  score  is  eighty  per  cent  his 
facial  and  ocular  expression  will  be  eight  per  cent. 

Application  of  the  Method  of  Using  the  Positive 
OR  Objective  Method  of  Character  Training. 

The  method  of  using  the  positive  or  objective  method  of 
character  building  can  be  illustrated  by  answering  a  few  of 
the  questions  most  commonly  asked  by  parents.  One  of 
these  is  usually 

''How  Shall  I  Teach  My  Child  to  be  Orderly^ 

He  should  have  an  individual  hook  for  his  hat  and  outer 
garments,  where  he  will  always  hang  them  when  he  enters 
the  house.  Each  other  member  of  the  family  must  likewise 
have  and  use  a  place  for  his  wraps. 

He  should  be  permitted  to  dust  the  furniture,  in  co-opera- 
tion with  others,  in  the  manner  described  on  page  thirteen.  He 


20  Character   Training   of    Children 

should  use  an  individual  cloth  for  wiping  splashes  of  water 
from  the  floor  or  furniture.  In  these  exercises  he  should 
not  be  required  to  act  as  though  performing  a  duty  or  as  a 
punishment  for  carelessness,  nor  should  he  be  reprimanded 
for  inferior  workmanship,  for  these  would  seriously  affect 
the  spirit  of  play  that  is  essential  to  successful  training. 

After  scattering  a  few  bits  of  paper,  a  spool  or  two  and 
several  other  articles  about  the  room  in  the  child's  absence, 
he  should  be  invited  to  help  the  parent  pick  them  up  and 
carefully  put  them  in  their  proper  receptacles.  The  parent 
should  help  the  child  pick  up  his  own  toys,  in  the  invariable 
spirit  of  play.  After  this  plan  has  been  practised  for  a 
short  timic  an  untidy  floor  will  not  be  tolerated  by  the  child. 

A  tactful  story  used  at  the  right  time  will  make  a  most 
lasting  impression.  If,  for  example,  the  child  has  followed 
the  lead  of  others  and  has  thrown  his  shoes  carelessly  on 
the  floor  when  getting  ready  for  bed  he  may  be  quickly 
taught  to  be  orderly  with  them  by  telling  him  that  they  are 
distressed  by  being  separated  at  night.  He  may  be  told  that 
the  little  shoes  have  been  so  busy  during  the  day  that  they 
could  not  visit  with  each  other,  so  if  they  were  placed  side 
by  side,  heel  and  toe  together,  at  night  they  might  by  some 
means,  when  everybody  is  asleep,  tell  each  other  of  v/here 
they  have  been  and  of  what  they  have  done  during  the  day. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  after  a  mother  has  told  this 
little  story  to  her  child  she  v/ill  not  thereafter  be  inclined  to 
throw  her  own  shoes  widely  apart  when  retiring. 

The  hands  of  the  child  should  help  those  of  the  elders 
in  arranging  the  pepper  and  saltcellar,  sugar-bowl,  cups, 
spoons  and  other  tableware  on  the  table  and  shelves,  in  an 
orderly  and  pleasing  manner.  This  game  may  be  accom- 
panied by  a  little  story  relating  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure 
of  the  articles  being  clean  and  carefully  arranged.  No  harm 
comes  from  giving  objects  with  which  a  child  deals,  a  proper 
individuality  and  the  dignity  of  a  limited  sensibility.  A 
recital  of  these  adds  vastly  to  a  sense  of  personal  responsi- 


Character   Training    of    Children  21 

* 
bllity  that  Is  necessary  to  orderliness.   Another  question  that 
is  commonly  asked  is 

^'Hozv  Shall  I  Teach  Him  to  Use  Care  in  Handling 
Breakable  Ohjectsf 

From  the  third  to  the  ninth  month  he  should  be  carried 
about  the  house  daily,  and  be  permitted  to  handle  curtains, 
v/indovv-glass,  the  fish-globe,  clock  and  scores  of  other  ob- 
jects in  the  home.  His  hands  should  become  familiar  with 
the  qualities  of  hardness  and  roughness.  His  faculty  of 
measuring  distance  through  the  use  of  the  eyes  and  muscle 
sense  should  be  keen  before  he  is  able  to  walk.  As  soon  as 
he  becomes  fairly  secure  upon  his  feet  he  should  be  trusted 
to  carry  dishes  containing  a  little  water  to  and  from  the 
table,  and  as  his  skill  increases  the  vessels  should  be  more 
completely  filled.  At  this  time,  also,  he  should  be  given 
games  such  as  that  in  which  sticks  are  fitted  into  holes  to 
make  wheels,  beads  to  thread  and  buttons  to  sew  onto  cloth. 
Delicacy  and  accuracy  of  touch  resulting  from  the  systematic 
association  of  hand,  eye  and  brain  will  insure  him  against 
awkw^ardness  and  the  reckless  handling  of  fragile  objects. 
The  brain  must  be  made  a  storehouse  of  actual  experiences 
that  result  from  the  careful,  helpful  use  of  the  hands.  Such 
brain-controlled  hands  can  be  safely  relied  upon  to  touch 
breakable  objects.     Hov/ever,  the  most  important  question  is 

''How  Shall  I  Teach  My  Child  To  Playf 

The  answer  to  this  is  identical  v/Ith  that  which  would  be 
given  the  question  ''How  Shall  I  Teach  My  Child  To 
Workf  as  play  and  work  are,  for  all  the  practical  pur- 
poses in  training,  the  same.  The  word  play-work  might  be 
coined  to  cover  the  activities  of  the  child.  This  combina- 
tion should  be  thoroughly  understood  to  enable  the  teacher 
to  keep  drudgery  out  of  the  life  of  the  child,  for  this  is  a 
drag  to  happiness  and  healthful  functioning  whenever  it  is 
permitted  to  occur. 

When  he  Is  sixteen  or  eighteen  months  old  the  mother 
should  provide  both  the  child  and  herself  with  blunt-pointed 
scissors,  a  paste  tube  and  some  colored  papers.  She  should 
sit  on  the  floor  or  at  a  table  with  him  where  she  will  permit 


22  Character   Training    of    Children 

him  to  copy  her  in  cutting  the  paper  into  strips  and  pasting 
them  into  old  magazines.  The  simplest  figures  such  as 
crosses  and  squares  should  be  attempted  at  first.  At  two 
years  of  age  the  properly  trained  child  should  be  able  to 
form  letters  with  the  strips.  When  the  mother  mends  a 
dress  or  sews  buttons  on  clothing  she  should  equip  her  child 
of  two  and  a  half  years  with  the  cloth,  needle  and  buttons 
necessary  for  him  to  play  the  game  of  helping  her  with  a 
needle.  She  should  invite  him  to  assist  in  making  the  beds, 
and  see  to  it  that  this  pleasure  is  as  fascinating  to  the  child 
as  that  of  building  houses  and  pens  with  blocks.  She 
should  let  the  child  help  prepare  food  for  the  table  in  the 
same  spirit,  and  with  the  same  interest,  she  would  take  in 
''playing  school"  with  him.  Through  all  this  she  should 
constantly  avoid  the  appearance  of  being  the  leader  of  play- 
work.  She  should  be  quick  to  appear,  at  least,  to  follow  the 
child's  suggestions.  His  "let  us"  do  this  should  receive 
prompt  consideration  in  order  that  his  initiative  shall  be 
preserved  and  developed.  The  mother  who  is  always  one 
step  ahead  of  her  child  in  doing  the  necessary  work  of  the 
home  may  become  a  very  efficient  housekeeper,  but  she  will 
miss  the  equal  and  sweet  companionship  of  her  child,  and 
will  surely  dwarf  his  value  in  his  later  dealings  with  her 
and  with  his  fellows. 

It  is  very  certain  that  if  a  child  is  treated  as  though  he 
were  an  honored  adult  guest  in  the  home,  if  he  is  shown 
the  consideration  in  word  and  act  that  is  due  him,  he  will 
repay  his  parents  in  gentleness,  kindness  and  social  efficiency. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  parents  use  him  as  a  plaything,  force 
him  to  kiss,  shake  hands  and  make  pretty  speeches,  he  will 
very  naturally  resent  the  indignities  and  express  his  distress 
by  frowns,  petulance  and  efforts  to  escape  from  his  tor- 
mentors. The  normal  child  wishes  to  be  treated  in  the 
manner  and  tone  of  voice  in  use  between  his  adult  com- 
panions, and  he  will  readily  make  trusted  friends  with  those 
who  are  wise  enough  to  recognize  this  fact.  Silly  artificial- 
ities of  voice  and  actions  are  absurd  and  harmful  when 
addressed  to  any  human  being,  young  or  old. 


Character   Training    of    Children  23 

Team  work  in  the  domestic  service  of  the  home  permits 
of  the  development  of  system  and  generally  makes~it^  pos- 
sible to  avoid  a  depressing  sense  of  drudgery.  If  the  chil- 
dren are  steadily  encouraged  to  say  "let  us"  clear  the  table, 
"let  us"  wash  and  wipe  the  dishes,  "let  us"  make  the  beds, 
"let  us"  hang  out  the  clothes,  "let  us"  dust,  etc.,  a  spirit  of 
cheerfulness  will  prevail.  If  the  parents  will  use  their  hands 
and  minds  at  this  play-work  on  equal  terms  with  their  chil- 
dren the  game  of  family  life  will  be  staged  on  its  highest 
levels.  Never  should  a  child  be  paid  or  otherwise  rewarded 
for  doing  a  domestic  service,  nor  should  a  special  task  be 
given  him  when  it  is  possible  to  make  the  play-work  the 
business  of  the  team,  or  at  farthest  cheerfully  interchange- 
able among  them.  Rivalry  for  the  honor  of  being  the  next 
to  do  a  certain  duty  is  easily  stimulated,  and  can  at  times 
be  used  to  advantage  by  a  wise  parent.  However,  its  use 
is  so  full  of  grave  dangers  that  it  is  generally  better  to  quite 
ignore  it  as  a  factor  in  child  training. 

When  toys  are  used  in  the  home,  or  are  carried  by  a 
mother  and  child  when  visiting  at  a  neighbor's  house,  it  is 
better  that  they  should  be  of  a  kind  that  can  keep  the  hands 
of  two  or  m.ore  children  busy  at  the  same  time.  Separate 
games  for  each  of  several  children  playing  in  one  room  arc 
not  very  successful. 

When  children  quarrel,  or  scold,  or  become  dictatorial  in 
their  game  the  parent  should  not  admonish  them  from  afar, 
separate,  or  punish  them,  but  she  should  take  seriously  to 
heart  the  fact  that  she  has  not  done  her  whole  duty  to  them 
until  she  has  joined  the  game  and  remained  in  it  until  the 
right  social  spirit  between  the  children  has  become  re-estab- 
lished. 

Teasing,  even  in  the  lightest  play,  invariably  leads  to  bad 
mental  habits  in  the  child.  The  parent  who  indulges  in  this 
vicious  pastime  injures  his  usefulness  to  his  child  and 
starts  a  destructive  mental  fault  in  the  household  that  at 
once  gets  beyond  his  control.  The  child  promptly  passes 
this  insult  to  right  human  relationship  to  everything  and 
everybody  about  him.     It  vitiates  his  affection  for  his  dog, 


24  Character   Training    of    Children 

cat,  doll  and  blocks.  If  teasing  Is  persisted  In  the  antagonism 
will  grow  to  a  point  where  it  w^ill  be  visited  upon  the  parent 
In  harsh  words  or  even  by  a  blow.  When  a  child  Is  seen 
to  scold  or  whip  his  doll  It  seems  plainly  evident  that  he  has 
experienced  or  witnessed  inexcusably  harsh,  ill  advised  treat- 
ment. 

When  the  play  in  which  the  untrained  child  is  interested 
conflicts  with  an  evident  duty,  the  parent  is  often  at  a  loss 
to  know  how  to  act  to  the  best  advantage  of  the  child.  For 
example,  the  boy  may  not  want  to  leave  his  play  to  eat  his 
dinner.  At  the  table  he  may  be  too  excited  to  eat  properly, 
and  later  he  may  cut  short  his  meal  to  get  back  to  the  game. 
The  trained  child  will,  in  this  case,  play  not  less  eagerly 
than  the  untrained  child,  but  his  established  habit  of  assist- 
ing the  parents  to  put  the  dinner  on  the  table  and  to  clear 
it  off  aftervv^ard  will  operate  to  steady  his  mind  and  quiet 
his  bodily  functions  for  his  meal.  It  may  be  confidently 
stated  that  no  child  can  be  so  rushed  for  time  that  he  can- 
not join  the  other  members  of  his  family  in  carrying  at  least 
one  dish  from  the  table  at  the  end  of  the  meal.  For  obvious 
reasons,  if  a  child  is  to  carry  out  but  one  dish  it  should  not 
be  one  he  has  been  using,  but  rather  one  used  by  another 
member  of  the  family. 

The  Education  or  Reformation  of  an  Individual  should 
be  carried  to  a  point  v>^hcre  social  acts  become  automati- 
cally performed  under  the  ordinary  stimulus  of  family  and 
community  life.  Under  special  conditions  and  surround- 
ings, a  partially  trained  child  may  perform  acts  worthy  of 
high  commendation,  and  may  even  establish  for  himself  a 
good  social  grade  or  rating  which,  under  other  circum- 
stances, he  w^ill  be  unable  to  attain.  A  repetition  of  good 
acts  will  finally  establish  themselves  In  his  habit  of  conduct, 
insuring  dependable  social  reactions.  However  a  complete 
score  of  the  ten  sections  Into  which  character  training  Is 
divided  in  this  system  will  be  needed  to  disclose  the  per- 
manence of  the  social  habits  as  well  as  the  degree  of  orderli- 
ness of  the  individual.  If,  for  example,  five  of  the  ten 
sections  are  found  to  be  entitled  to  a  high  score,  and  the 


Character   Training    of    Children  25 

other  five  must  be  given  a  low  score,  It  is  certain  that  there 
is  in  that  person  a  serious  Instability  of  character  due-  to  a 
lack  of  coordination  of  the  social  qualities.  Steady,  de- 
pendable action  cannot  be  expected  here.  When,  however, 
all  of  the  character  qualities  approximate  a  high  common 
level,  steadiness  of  conduct  should  be  looked  for  with  con- 
siderable confideVice.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  chart  of  a 
normal  child  in  training  always  shows  that  the  irregularities 
in  character  qualities  disappear  In  a  very  satisfactory  man- 
ner. 

The  Scoring  of  Character  Qualities  should  cover  all  the 
objective  social  manifestations  of  the  child.  It  is  evident 
no  score  can  be  made  for  other  than  an  act  that  affects 
society.  It  must  be  seen,  and  it  must  have  a  measurable 
quality.  The  observer  should  be  able  to  say  the  act  that 
is  being  judged  Is,  from  its  performance  as  a  social  factor, 
perfect,  excellent,  good,  fair,  poor,  bad  or  very  bad.  For 
convenience,  perfection  in  each  of  the  measureable  social 
acts  is  evaluated  at  ten,  as  is  also  each  of  the  ten  sections. 

Social  or  Character  Qualities  Score  of  Children 
Over  Four  Years  of  Age. 

The  score  for  each  of  the  inquiries  In  the  ten  sections 
given  in  the  schedule  should  be  set  down  as  follows : 

Where  the  daily  performance  of  the  child  is  continuously 
perfect  he  is  given  a  score  of  10;  excellent  9  to  10;  good 
8  to  9 ;  fair  7  to  8 ;  poor  6  to  7 ;  bad  4  to  6 ;  very  bad  0  to 
4.  Where  no  score  is  practicable  as,  for  example,  where  a 
score  has  previously  been  awarded  to  cover  the  act  In  ques- 
tion, X  is  given. 

To  find  the  score  to  be  given  a  section,  the  amounts 
awarded  the  Inquiries  In  that  section  should  be  added  to- 
gether and  the  sum  divided  by  the  number  of  scores  rec- 
orded. For  example.  If  the  scores  of  the  Inquiries  In  the 
section  were  7,  4,  0,  X  and  5,  the  total  award  would  be  16. 
This  divided  by  four  makes  4  as  the  score  to  be  given  In 
the  section. 

The  child  should  be  examined  In  the  presence  of  a  parent 


26  Character   Training    of    Children 

or  other  person  who  Is  Intimately  acquainted  with  his  social 
life. 

Schedule  of  Chabacteb  Qualitieb. 

Perfect 
Score.        Score. 
1  To  what  extent  does  he  care  for  his  own  person 

and  needs  f  10  5.6 

Does  he  completely  dress  himself  in  the  morning? 

B  5. 
Does   he   bathe  himself,   F7,   care   for  his   finger 

nails,  B  J,,  teeth,  B  6,  hair?   G  8. 
Does  he   mend  his  own  clothing,  —  X,   sew  on 

buttons,   —   0,   neatly   lace   shoes,   G   8.5,   keep 

them  clean,  B  5,  correctly  hang  up  his  hat  and 

wraps?   B  4- 
Does  he  carefully  arrange  his  clothing  and  shoes 

when  he  goes  to  bed?    P  6. 
Does  he  keep  his  clothes  drawer  in  an  orderly 

fashion,  B  Ji,  his  dressing  table,  P  6,  his  clothes 

closet?  F  7. 
Does  he  feed  himself  properly  and  in  a  neat  man- 
ner?  G  8. 

2.  Does  he  abstain  from  harmful  foods,  haMt-form- 

ing  drugs  and  injurious  practices?  10  8.2& 

Does  he  successfully  resist  temptation  to  eat  food 

between  meals?    F.  8. 
Does  he  eat  candy  when  told  not  to  do  so?  G  8.5. 
Does  he  obediently  abstain  from  food  he  knows  to 

be  rich  and  indigestible?   G  8.5. 
Can  food   and   attractive   articles   be   safely   left 

within  his  reach?  G  8. 

3.  To  what  extent  does  he  share  in   the  household 

duties?  10  4.8 

Does  he  assist  in  the  household  duties  immedi- 
ately after  dressing  in  the  morning?  P  6. 
Does  he  help  at  the  table,  P  6,  wait  upon  the  table, 

B  4,  clear  off  the  table?  B  4. 
Does  he  wash  and  wipe  the  dishes?  V.  B.  4- 
Does  he  place  the  plates  and  other  tableware  in 

the  cupboard  in  an  orderly  manner?   V.  B.  2. 
Does  he  prepare  food,  V.  B.  4,  cook  food?   Y.  B.  4- 
Does  he  make  beds,  V.  B.  4,  dust  furniture,  B  6, 

sweep?  B  6. 
Does  he  perform  out-of-door  service  for  the  fam- 
ily?  G  8. 

4.  How  does  he  obtain  money  or  its  equivalent?  10  S.S" 

Does  he  beg  money  of  his  parents;    does  he  tease 

or  cry  for  it?  P  6. 
Does  he  forcibly  take  toys  or  other  property  from 

his  playmates?    E  9.5. 
Does  he  obtain  property  through  unfair  trades  or 

games?  E  9.5. 


Character   Training    of    Children  27 

Perfect 
Score.        Scoi-e.. 

5.  His  sense  of  responsihility  for  family  and  puJ)lic 

property.  10  7.3 

Is  he  saving    of  food,    clothing,    furniture,  tools, 

public  property?    G  8.S. 
Is  he  judicious  in  his  expenditures  when  buying 

his  own  clothing?  —  X. 
Is  he  careful  when  buying  family  clothing  and 

groceries?   F  7. 
How  would  he  expend  five  cents,  fifty  cents,  five 

dollars,  or  one  hundred  dollars,  if  left  to  his 

own  choice?  P  6. 
Does  he  save  money  judiciously?  P  6. 
Is  he  helpful  to  others  with  his  money  and  other 

property?   G  9. 

6.  To  what  extent  does  he  accept  responsibility  for 

his  acts?  10  9.2 

Does  he  fail  to  tell  of  articles  he  has  broken  or 

lost?  E  9.5. 
Does  he  claim  that  others  are  responsible  for  his 

own  misdeeds  or  accidents?  E  9.5. 
Does  he  readily  confess  mischievous  acts?   G  8.5. 

7.  Valuation  of  dress  and  ornamentation.  10  8.T 

Does  he  v/ear  clothing  suitable  to  his  work;  to 
his  play?    G  8. 

Does  he  affect  striking  colors  and  contrasts;  jew- 
elry? E  9.5. 

Does  the  girl  wear  striking  earrings,  hats,  brace- 
lets, ribbons?   —  X. 

Does  she  use  face  paints,  strong  perfumes?  —  X. 

8.  His  moral  initiative.  10  9.4 

Does  he  institute  and  conduct  constructive  and 
orderly  games?  E  9, 

Does  he  require  his  playmates  to  serve  him  rather 
than  the  interests  of  the  game?  E  9.5. 

Does  he  tease  and  annoy  other  children?  E  9.5. 

Does  he  have  trouble  with  other  children?    E  9.5. 

Does  he  appropriate  another  boy's  ball,  boat,  or 
other  property  for  temporary  use?   E  9.5. 

Does  he  scold  and  whip  the  disobedient  doll  or  pre- 
tended scholar?  E  9.5. 

Does  he  abuse  cats,  dogs,  or  other  animals? 
E  9.5. 

Are  the  imaginary  characters  with  which  he  plays 
kind;    are  they  controlled  by  kindness?  E  9.5. 

9.  His  valuation  and  use  of  time.  10  7.8" 

Does  he  have  periods  of  stupor  or  apathy?  E  9.5. 
Does  he  have   periods  of  inffective   restlessness? 

E  9.5. 
Does  he  loaf,  or  dawdle,  when  working?   F  7. 
Does   he    waste   time   in   pointless   conversation? 

G  8. 


28  Character   Training    of    Children 

Perfect 
Score.        Score, 
Does  he  waste  time  in  reading  immoral  or  other 

destructive  literature?    F  7. 
Does   he   neglect   family   or   other   social   duties? 

P  6. 
10.  Nervous  staMlity ;    moroseness,   flashes   of  anger, 

destructiveness,  foolish  remarks  and   laughter. 

Facial  and  OGular  expression.  10  7.9 

Does  he   work  and   play   in   an   orderly,   patient 

way?    G  8.5. 
Does  he  finish  one  thing  before  he  begins  another? 

F  7.5. 
Are  his  ideas  logically  connected,  or  are  they  dis- 
sociated?   G  8.5. 
Is  he  irritable  and  easily  angered?    F  7. 
Does  he  slam  the  door  or  stamp  his  feet  in  anger? 

—  X. 

Does  he  purposely  break  or  tear  objects  of  value? 

—  X. 

Does   he   talk   foolishly   or   laugh   immoderately? 

—  X. 

Facial  and  ocular  expression?   G  8. 

Total,    100%         77.5% 

//  Should  Be  Especially  Noted  that  the  names  of  vir- 
tues such  as  sympathy,  kindness,  patience,  gratitude,  hon- 
esty, etc.,  have  not  been  given  a  place  in  this  system. 
They  are  receding  abstractions  that  mark  the  goal  toward 
which  character  training  is  directed.  Actual  scoring  and 
training  of  character  qualities  must  deal  with  acts  which 
make  toward  or  against  them.  A  child  who  scores  but  forty 
per  cent  has  the  virtues  poorly  developed.  Patience,  kind- 
ness and  honesty  are  very  unstable  in  such  a  subject.  An- 
other who  scores  ninety-five  per  cent  is  rich  in  possession  of 
them.  The  average  patient  in  an  asylum  for  the  insane 
scores  only  twenty  or  thirty  per  cent,  the  average  youth  in 
an  institution  for  juvenile  delinquents  scores  about  fifty  per 
cent,  and  the  normal  partially  trained  child  scores  approxi- 
mately eighty  per  cent.  It  may  be  confidently  stated  that 
a  child  is  not  on  the  way  to  good  citizenship  who  scores 
less  than  seventy-five  per  cent.  If  he  is  deficient  in  sym- 
pathy, kindness,  patience,  gratitude  or  honesty  he  should 
not  be  coaxed,  hired  or  scolded  to  acquire  them,  but  he 
should  receive  careful  and  patient  training  in  the  social  ele- 
ments to  raise  his  score  above  the  safety  point  for  correct 
conduct. 


Character  Training   of    Children 


29 


The  Score  of  a  Child  over  four  years  of  age  should  be 
recorded  In  the  manner  shown  on  the  following  chart. 
The  perpendicular  lines  of  figures  represent  the  percentage 
score  of  the  subject  and  the  transverse  lines  of  figures  the 
sections  in  which  the  score  is  recorded.  The  chart,  Fig.  6, 
shows  two  scores  of  a  child  of  twelve  years.  The  first  score 
totals  seventy  per  cent.  The  second,  made  after  three 
months'  training,  totals  eighty-seven  and  five-tenths  per  cent. 


C2ABT  OF  SOCIAi  OB  CHABACTES  QUALITIES 

10. 
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Social  or  Character  Score:     Perfect,  10;    excellent,  9  to  10;    good, 

8  to  9;    fair,  7  to  8;  poor,  6  to  7;    bad,  4  to  6;    very  bad,  0  to  4;    no 

score,  X.  1st  2nd 

1.  To  what  extent  does  lie  care  for  his  own  person 

and  needs? 7,5  8 

2.  To  what   extent   does   he   abstain   from   injurious 

foods,  habit-forming  drugs  and  injurious  prac- 
tices?    9  9 

3.  To  what  extent  does  he   share  in  the  household 

duties ?   5.5  9 

4.  How  does  he  obtain  money  or  its  equivalent? 3  9.5 

5.  What  is  his  sense  of  responsibility  for  family  and 

public  property?  8.5  9.5 

6.  How  does  he  accept  responsibility  for  his  acts? 8.5  9.5 

7.  What  is  his  valuation  of  dress  and  ornamentation?  8.5  7 


30  Character   Training    of    Children 

1st  2nd 

8.  What  is  his  moral  initiative? 8.5  9 

9.  His  valuation  and  use  of  time? 3.5  9 

10.  His  facial  and  ocular  expression,  nervous  stability, 

moroseness,    flashes    of   anger,    destructiveness, 

foolish  remarks  and  laughter? 7.5  8 

Total,  70.0%         87.5% 

Play-Work    for    Children    from    Three    to    Sixty 
Months  of  Age. 

A  Child  is  Happiest  when  his  hands  are  busy  and  when 
he  thinks  he  is  useful.  If  he  is  not  provided  with  some- 
thing to  do  he  will  be  fretful  and  troublesome.  Parents 
should  always  have  at  hand  for  him  a  bit  of  constructive 
play  suited  to  his  age,  to  entertain  and  educate  his  hand  and 
brain.  Toys  may  be  very  useful  but  they  are  too  com- 
monly employed  to  furnish  a  cheap  amusement  for  the 
child. 

The  Following  Games  are  adapted  to  children  of  the 
designated  ages.  If  they  are  played  happily  and  regularly 
with  the  child  it  will  become  the  joy  of  his  life  to  use  them 
in  a  skilled  and  helpful  way. 

At  Three  Months  he  should  be  taught  to  grasp 
objects  of  different  sizes  and  weights  held  at  vary- 
ing distances  from  him.  He  should  find  his  legs, 
put  feeding  bottle  to  his  mouth,  and  use  the  vessel. 

Notes  : 


At  Six  Months  his  fingers  should  be  familiar  with 
all  objects  about  the  room;  with  marbles,  blocks, 
etc.      He  should   know  where  the   clock,   fish-globe 


Character  Training   of    Children  31 

and  other  objects  are  located  when  they  are  named. 
He  should  put  out  both  arms  to  be  taken. 
Notes  : 


At  Nine  Months  he  should  pat-a-cake,  wave  greet- 
ing, kiss  hand,  pile  blocks,  find  own  teeth,  hair, 
tongue.     Pull  off  shoes  and  stockings. 

Notes  : 


At  Twelve  Months  he  should  cover  face  when 
playing  peek-a-boo;  put  shoes  and  stockings  to  feet; 
assist  in  dressing  and  undressing  himself;  dust  flour 
off  chair  rounds  when  helping  his  mother;  roll  ball 
with  judgment  different  distances. 

Notes  : 


At  Fifteen  Months  he  should  carry  glasses  of 
water  to  and  from  the  table;  help  wipe  up  splashes 
of  water  from  the  floor;  dust  and  sweep  with  in- 
dividual cloth  and  broom;  button  and  unbotton 
clothes,  and  properly  lay  away  his  shoes. 

Notes  : 


32  Character   Training   of    Children 

At  Eighteen  Months  he  should  help  set  and  clear 
off  the  table;  wipe  a  selected  dish  or  two;  paste 
strips  of  paper  to  make  squares  and  crosses;  unpin 
safety-pins  in  clothing;  unbutton  and  pull  off  shoes 
and  stockings;  use  handkerchief  and  replace  it  in 
his  pocket. 

Notes  : 


At  Tzventy-one  Months  he  should  cut  strips  of 
paper  v/ith  blunt-pointed  scissors,  and  paste  them  on 
pieces  of  pasteboard  to  make  crosses,  squares  and 
triangles;  cut  pictures  out  of  papers  and  paste  them 
into  books. 

Notes  : 


At  Twenty-four  Months  he  should  string  beads 
with  needle  and  thread;  select  colors  of  beads  with 
accuracy;  sew  buttons  on  cloth;  stitch  pieces  of  cloth 
together;  voluntarily  pick  up  broken  beads,  etc.,  and 
put  them  in  the  waste  basket. 

Notes  : 


Character   Training   of    Children  33 

At  Twenty-seven  Months  he  should  wash  his  own 
hands  clean  with  soap  and  water,  particularly  after 
coming  from  the  toilet ;  help  with  bath ;  wash  selected 
dish  or  two;  paste  strips  of  paper  on  cardboard  to 
make  appearance  of  picture  frame;  cut  picture  from 
book  and  paste  accurately. 

Notes  : 


At  Thirty-one  Months  he  should  be  able  to  cut 
strips  of  paper  and  paste  on  cardboard  to  form  As, 
Xs,  Ls  and  Hs,  and  should  know  name  of  each; 
pick  over  beans,  break  spaghetti  and  do  other  sim- 
ilar work  in  a  trustworthy  manner. 

Notes  : 


At  Thirty-four  Months  he  should  fold  paper  to 
make  hat;  fold  paper  from  which  to  cut  out  the 
round  letters  of  the  alphabet;  cut  out  Cs,  Os,  Ds, 
etc.,  and  know  their  names;  paste  letters  on  cards 
to  form  words  of  one  syllable. 

Notes  : 


34  Character   Training    of    Children 

At  Thirty-six  Months  he  should  take  bath;  brush 
teeth;  build  sightly  houses  with  building  blocks;  cut 
out  pages  from  wall  paper  to  make  scrap-book  and 
fold  and  sew  them  together;  paste  pictures  into 
scrap-book  with  good  understanding  as  to  appro- 
priateness of  subjects;  nail  pieces  of  lath  together 
to  make  squares  and  triangles;  draw  crude  picture 
of  house,  and  round  human  face. 

Notes  : 


At  Forty-two  Months  he  should  do  decorative 
work  with  brass-headed  tacks,  and  with  colored 
paper  on  pasteboard;  put  together  mechanical  toys. 

Notes: 


At  Forty-eight  Months  h^  should  help  wash  and 
wipe  dishes;  help  to  do  chamber  work;  weave  and 
knit. 

Notes: 


From  Fifty-four  to  Sixty  Months  he  should  help 
mix  cooky  dough,  custards  and  bread,  and  assist  In 
baking  them;  prepare  vegetables  for  cooking;  help 
clean  and  put  away  cooking  utensils. 

Notes  : 


Character   Training    of    Children  35 

A  trained  child  should  habitually  do  all  the  things  that 
are  recorded  for  a  child  of  his  age.  If  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  months  he  regularly  does  no  more  than  what  is 
done  by  a  trained  child  of  fifteen  months  he  Is  six  months 
below  grade. 

It  should  be  constantly  In  the  mind  of  the  parent  that 
she  must  do  with  her  own  hands  In  the  presence  of  her  child 
the  acts  she  wishes  him  to  perform.  Aloofness,  directing 
and  criticising  will  not  accomplish  results,  and  they  will, 
if  carried  far,  strain  or  break  the  attachment  of  parent  and 
child.  The  brain  Is  taught  to  record  and  direct  social  acts 
through  the  hands  and  therefore  It  Is  they  that  must  be 
trained  in  good  citizenship  by  repeated  acts  of  helpfulness. 

Mentality  and   Conditions  Affecting   Its 
Development. 

When  Teaching  Character  Qualities  It  Is  frequently  de- 
sirable to  diagram,  as  far  as  possible,  the  total  mentality  of 
the  child.  This  may  be  done  by  measuring  his  mental  age 
or  Intelligence  by  the  Binet-SImon  system  and  graphically 
associating  it  with  his  character  qualities.  The  following 
plan  Is  of  service: 

The  mental  age  of  the  lowest  grade  idiot  should  be  rep- 
resented by  a  circle  two  millirneters  in  diameter,  that  of  a 
normally  advanced  eight  year  old  child  by  a  circle  six  milli- 
meters in  diameter,  and  that  of  a  normally  advanced  person 
of  sixteen  years  by  a  circle  ten  millimeters  in  diameter. 

The  social  or  character  qualities  of  the  lowest  grade  idiot 
should  be  represented  by  a  circle  ten  millimeters  in  diameter, 
that  of  a  person  whose  character  score  Is  fifty  per  cent  by 
a  circle  thirty  millimeters  in  diameter,  and  that  of  a  person 
whose  character  score  is  one  hundred  per  cent  by  a  circle 
fifty  millimeters  In  diameter. 

The  circle  representing  the  mental  age  should  be  placed 
within  the  circle  representing  the  character  qualities  of  the 
subject,  and  when  they  are  thus  diagrammed  the  relations 
and  proportions  will  appear  as  shown  in  Figs.  1,  2  and  3. 


36  Character   Training    of    Childre 


N 


Fig.  1  represents  the  mental  age  and  social  qualities  of 
the  lowest  grade  idiot.  Fig.  2  represents  a  mental  age  of 
eight  years  and  a  character  score  of  fifty  per  cent.  Fig.  3 
represents  a  mental  age  of  sixteen  years  and  a  character 
score  of  one  hundred  per  cent. 

To  find  the  diameter  of  the  inner  circle  In  any  given  case 
multiply  the  subject's  mental  age  by  five-tenths  (.5)  of  a 
millimeter  and  add  two  (2)  millimeters  to  make  the  total. 
To  find  the  diameter  of  the  outer  circle  multiply  his  per- 
centage of  character  qualities  by  four-tenths  (.4)  of  a  milli- 
meter and  add  ten  (10)  millimeters  to  make  the  total. 

Following  this  method  a  child  whose  mental  age  is  four 
years  and  whose  character  qualities  total  ninety  per  cent  will 
be  represented,  Fig.  4,  by  an  inner  circle  four  millimeters 
In  diameter  and  an  outer  circle  forty-six  millimeters  in 
diameter.  When  a  diagram  of  this  mentality  is  placed  by 
the  side  of  that  of  a  person  of  the  same  mental  age  but 
whose  character  qualities  are  only  forty  per  cent,  Fig  5,  the 
difference  between  the  two  is  shown  to  be  very  striking. 


Character   Training    of    Children  37 


The  Character  Score  of  an  Individual  Will  Not  Improve 
with  training  if  definite  degenerative  changes  are  progress- 
ing in  the  brain.  This  is  a  very  common  observation  In 
asylum  practice.  Everyone  may  see  in  slower  progress  the 
gradual  reduction  of  character  qualities  in  the  adult  who 
has  passed  into  the  stage  of  senility.  Nor  can  a  high  score 
be  expected  of  a  child  whose  m.ental  age  is  permanently 
established  far  below  the  chronological  age.  This  is  illus- 
trated in  the  Chart,  Fig.  7,  of  a  badly  trained  eight  year 
old  child  whose  mental  age  is  but  three  years.  Her  char- 
acter score  totals  but  twenty-five  and  five-tenths  per  cent. 

Fig.  8  is  given  to  show  by  contrast  with  Fig.  7  the  char- 
acter score  of  a  normal  but  very  badly  trained  child  of 
eight  years.  The  score,  taken  about  three  years  ago,  is 
seen  to  total  but  fifty-five  and  five-tenths  per  cent.  Her 
guardians  repeatedly  scolded  and  whipped  her  for  stealing 
small  sums  of  money  and  for  other  delinquencies.  Under 
better  guardianship,  and  with  systematic  training,  her  score 
has  been  raised  above  eighty  per  cent,  and  she  has  become 
a  good  member  of  society. 


38  Character   Training    of    Children 


10 
.5 

9. 

5 

8. 

.5 
7 

.5 
6. 

.5 
5. 

.5 
4. 

.5 
3. 

,5 

2. 

.5 
1. 

.5 
O- 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

A 

r 

\ 

■ 

\ 

— 

^ 

^ 

^ 

s^ 

A 

I 

\ 

1 

^ 

- 

If 

\\ 

u 

1 

1 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

10. 

I 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

.5 

9. 

.5 

I 

8. 

.5 

J 

\ 

7. 

( 

\ 

.5 

I 

6. 

1 

\ 

.5 

\ 

i 

r 

^ 

, 

1 

5. 

\ 

J 

V 

1 

.5 

\ 

1 

\ 

\ 

4. 

1/ 

ll 

.•> 

\l 

If 

3. 

V 

\ 

r 

.5 

2. 

.5 

1. 

.5 

0- 

r 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Fig. 


Fig.  8 


The  total  mentality  of  each   of  the   two   children   is 
shown  in  Figs.  9  and  10. 


./7^.     7. 


Character   Training   of    Children  39 

There  is  a  Large  Number  of  Children  Who  do  Not 
Develop  character  qualities  in  a  normal  way  because-  they 
arc  handicapped  by  permanent  physical  disabilities,  and 
there  is  a  larger  number  that  cannot  make  proper  progress 
until  curable  physical  conditions  are  corrected.  It  is  well, 
therefore,  for  parents  to  learn  what  the  trouble  is  if  their 
child  is  not  responding  to  character  training.  It  will  be 
found  that  those  that  are  afflicted  by  incurable  physical  con- 
ditions are,  generally  speaking,  the  idiots,  imbeciles,  morons, 
hemiplegics  and,  often,  the  hydrocephalic  and  syphilitic. 
There  are  other  children  that  border  on  this  condition,  the 
treatment  of  whom,  is  more  hopeful.  They  are  those  whose 
glandular  system  is  defective  or  disturbed,  in  which  are  in- 
cluded the  thymus,  thyroid,  pituitary  and  other  glands. 

Malnutrition,  however,  is  far  more  frequently  a  cause  for 
disturbed  character  development.  This  includes  mialassimila- 
tion,  rickets,  badly  balanced  feeding,  indigestion,  overfeed- 
ing and  underfeeding.  It  is  very  evident  that  the  function 
of  the  brain  depends  in  a  large  measure  upon  the  quality 
of  the  brain  tissue,  and  this  most  ofen  depends  upon  the 
kind  and  amount  of  nourishment  it  gets.  For  example,  a 
child  that  is  overfed  with  sweet  foods  and  sweet  drinks, 
and  given  food  between  meals,  may  develop  indigestion, 
with  nervousness,  irritability,  restlessness,  and  general  fail- 
ure to  grow.  His  brain  tissue  is  poisoned  by  materials,  cir- 
culating in  the  blood,  that  it  cannot  use.  He  is  so  absorbed 
by  his  weak,  vexatious  self  that  he  cannot  develop  normal 
social  habits.  Another  child  that  is  overfed  with  all 
sorts  of  forage  will  become  a  coarse  digesting  machine, 
with  gross,  unresponsive  fibre  both  within  the  skull  and 
throughout  the  body. 

The  child  should  also  be  examined  for  diseased  tonsils, 
adenoids  and  teeth.  It  should  be  learned  if  he  is  absorbing 
poisons  from  these,  or  from  his  appendix,  intestines  or  other 
organs.  The  parents  should  assure  themselves  that  he  is 
not  suffering  from  eye  strain,  bad  air  or  lack  of  sunshine. 

When  the  physical  conditions  have  been  corrected,  and 
it  is  found  that  the  child  fails  to  make  his  social  grades,  it 


40  Character   Training   of    Children 

may  develop  that  he  Is  afflicted  with  servants  or  playmates 
of  low  character  qualities.  Or  with  relatives,  especially 
elderly  people,  who  purchase  affection  with  candy  and  in- 
dulgences. However,  the  greatest  and  most  common  handi- 
cap with  which  a  child  can  be  afflicted  is  impatient,  disor- 
derly parents. 

For  the  Practical  Working  out  of  the  System  a  score  of 
the  home  itself  should  be  carefully  made  and  put  upon  a 
percentage  basis.  To  accomplish  this  each  item  of  the 
Score  of  the  Ho7ne  is  given  10  when  adjudged  perfect;  9  to 
10  when  excellent;  8  to  9  when  good;  7  to  8  when  fair; 
6  to  1  when  poor;  4  to  6  when  bad;  1  to  4  when  very  had; 
0  when  no  score  is  made. 

When  Scoring  Remediable  Diseases  of  the  child  a  full 
credit  of  10  is  given  for  each  item  where  no  condition  need- 
ing correction  is  found,  and  0  where  a  condition,  however 
slight,  that  should  be  rem.edied  is  discovered.  A  sample 
score  of  each  is  given  in  Chart  Fig.  11. 

The  Nourishment  of  the  Child,  as  has  been  previously 
pointed  out,  is  essential  to  his  mental  health,  and  it  is  con- 
sequently desirable  to  state  some  general  rules  for  the  guid- 
ance of  parents  in  this  matter. 

Rules  for  Feeding  Infants  and  Children. 

//  The  Nursing  Child  does  not  gain  at  the  rate  shown  in 
the  table  on  page  forty-five,  the  mother's  health,  habits  and 
diet  must  be  carefully  investigated.  She  must  be  given  a  reg- 
ular, quiet  life.  Her  food  should  be  selected  from  the  list 
prescribed  on  pages  forty-three  and  forty-four.  She  should 
not  take  large  am.ounts  of  fluids,  such  as  tea,  cocoa,  etc.,  that 
make  for  quantity  rather  than  quality  of  breast  milk.  If, 
despite  the  greatest  possible  care  on  the  part  of  the  mother, 
the  child  continues  to  fail  to  take  on  a  proper  amount  of 
weight  he  should  be  given  all  the  food  he  cares  for  from  the 
bottle  after  putting  him  to  the  breast  for  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes. Under  no  circumstances  should  he  be  given  quantities 
of  water  to  quiet  him,  or  to  supplement  his  food. 


Character   Training   of    Children  41 

The  Bottle  Fed  Baby  of  normal  weight  and  strength  may 
be  given  clean  raw  milk  and  water  in  the  proportions  de- 
scribed below.  If,  however,  he  is  weak  or  under  weight 
the  proportion  of  milk  must  be  less  than  here  prescribed. 

During  the  first  week  or  ten  days  the  infant  should  be 
given  food  in  the  proportion  of  one-fourth  milk  to  three- 
fourths  water.  To  this  should  be  added  a  prescribed  amount 
of  soluble  malted  barley  or  wheat. 

He  should  be  awakened  and  fed  at  six  and  nine  a.  m.,  at 
twelve  m.  and  at  three,  six  and  nine  p.  m.  Very  young,  as 
well  as  under-nourished  infants  may  be  fed  at  2  a.  m. 

The  amount  at  each  feeding  and  its  strength  should 
slowly  increase  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one-half 
ounces  at  one  week  to  five  or  six  ounces  at  twelve  weeks  of 
age,  and  from  one-fourth  milk  to  approximately  five  parts 
of  milk  to  four  parts  of  water  at  the  third  month. 

At  Three  Months  of  age  he  should  be  fed  at  six  and  ten 
a.  m.  and  at  two,  six  and  ten  p.  m.  The  milk  and  water 
should  be  given  in  about  the  proportion  of  ^vt  parts  of 
milk  to  four  parts  of  water  with  soluble  malted  grain  as 
before.  Two  or  three  teaspoonfuls  of  diluted  orange  or 
canned  tomato  juice  may  be  given  every  second  or  third  day 
at  this  age. 

At  Six  Months  of  age  his  food  should  be  given  in  about 
the  proportion  of  five  parts  of  milk  to  two  parts  of  water. 
The  strength  of  the  food  should  be  gradually  increased 
from  this  time  until  the  milk  is  given  undiluted  at  the 
eleventh  or  twelfth  month.  In  addition  he  may  be  given, 
several  times  a  week,  just  before  a  mid-day  feeding,  a  few 
teaspoonfuls  of  salted,  not  sweetened,  cream  of  wheat  gruel, 
or  of  a  mild  soup  made  of  lean  beef  or  mutton  stewed  with 
potato,  carrot  and  spinach.  Each  should  be  strained  through 
two  thicknesses  of  gauze.  The  orange  or  tomato  juice  may 
be  continued. 

At  Eight  Months  of  age  a  small  part  of  the  white  of  a 
coddled  egg  may  be  given  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and 
a  more  liberal  amount  of  the  foods  prescribed  above.     He 


42  Character   Training    of    Children 

should  take  about  eight  ounces  of  the  milk  preparation  at 
each  feeding. 

At  Twelve  Months  of  age  he  should  be  taking  undiluted 
milk.  He  may  have  both  parts  of  a  coddled  egg  once  or 
twice  a  week,  as  well  as  the  soup  and  cream  of  wheat  at 
the  ten  and  two  o'clock  feedings.  He  may  also  have  orange 
juice,  prune  juice  and  the  red  juice  from  a  broiled  steak  or 
a  roast. 

From  Twelve  to  Fifteen  Months,  meals  at  six  and  ten 
a.  m.  and  at  two  and  six  p.  m. 

Gradually  add  the  following  foods  to  those  prescribed  in 
the  preceding  sections  as  the  child  approaches  fifteen  months 
of  age: 

1.  Cream  of  wheat 
Oatmeal 

Rice 

Zwieback 

As  milk  is  diminished  add  batter  to  the  ration. 

2.  Spinach  \ 

Fresh  green  peas        V    Pass  through  a  sieve. 

Carrots  j 

Prunes 

From  Fifteen  to  Twenty-four  Months,  meals  at  six  and 
ten  a.  m.  and  at  two  and  six  p.  m. 

At  least  one  portion  of   food  from   each   of  the  three 
groups,  1,  2  and  3,  must  be  included  in  each  day's  ration. 
1.  Milk,  from  a  pint  to  a  pint  and  a  half  per  day 


Beef  or  mutton  stewed  with  potatoes,  carrots  and  spinach;  strain 
Custard. 

2.  Oatmeal 
Cream  of  wheat 
Potato 

Rice 

Tapioca 

Cornstarch 

Zwiebach  with  butter 

Oatmeal  crackers 

Whole  wheat  bread  and  butter. 

3.  Spinach  or  chard  \ 

Fresh  green  peas  VPass  through  sieve. 

Carrots  j 

Orange 

Banana,  thoroughly  ripe;   mashed. 

Stewed  fruits,  such  as  apples,  prunes,  pears,  peaches,  or  apricots.. 


Character   Training    of    Children  43 

From  Twenty-four  to  Forty-eight  Months,  meals  at  seven- 
thirty  a.  m.,  twelve-thirty  and  six  p.  m. 

At  least  one  portion  from  each  of  the  three  groups,  1,  2 
and  3,  must  be  included  in  each  day's  ration. 

As  at  all  ages  nothing  excepting  water  should  be  given 
between  meals. 

1.  Milk.    One  to  three  glasses  per  day 
Eggs 

Beef  or  mutton  broth  stewed  with  vegetable* 

Fresh  fish 

Bacon 

Cottage  cheese 

Cvstard 

2.  Soups 
Oatmeal 

Cream  of  wheat 
Rice 

Tapioca 

Cornstarch 

Potato,  moderately 

Whole  wheat  bread  and  butter  or  grary 

Zwieback  and  butter 

Oatmeal  crackers 

Jelly,  very  moderately 

Plain  cookies 

3.  Spinach,  chopped 
Fresh  green  peas 

Asparagus  VMash«d 

Carrots 

Bananas,  thoroughly  ripe 
Oranges 

Stewed  fruits,  such  as  apples,  prunes,  pears,  peaches  and  apricots. 

From  the  Fourth  to  the  Tenth  Year,  meals  at  seven-thirty 
a.  m.,  twelve-thirty  and  six  p.  m. 

At  least  one  portion  from  each  of  the  three  groups,  1,  2 
and  3,  must  be  included  in  each  day's  ration. 

1.  Milk 


Beef  \ 

Chicken         /  ^^^  ^°  tX^T^  times  a  week 

Turkey  \ 

Bacon 

Dried  beef  gravy 

Codfish  gravy 

Tongue 

Fresh  fish 


44  Character  Training   of    Children 


Cottage  cheese 
Custard. 

2.  Soups 
Noodles 
Rice 
Potato 

Sweet  potato 
Oatmeal 
Cream  of  wheat 
Tapioca 
Cornstarch 

Whole  wheat  bread  with  butter 
Zwieback  with  butter 
Oatmeal  crackers 
Plain  cookies 

j®^  I  Very  moderately 

3.  Squash 
Asparagus 

Spinach  or  other  greens 
Fresh  green  peas 
String  beans 
Tomatoes 
Turnips 
Beets 
Carrots 
Oranges 

Bananas,  thoroughly  ripe 
Stewed  and  baked  fruits 
Apples 
Peaches 
Strawberries 
Melons. 

School  Lunches: 

Milk,  one-half  pint 

Stale  whole  wheat  bread  with  butter 

Sandwiches: 
Minced  egg 
Minced  beef 
Minced  mutton 

ninred  tu^T    >        ^'^  '«"»-  '''-  '•'^•'""''^'^ 

Minced  bacon 

Minced  tongue 

Cottage  cheese 

Jelly  or  jam,  very  moderately. 

Baked  Dishes:    Individual 
Cereal  puddings 
Pumpkin 
Custard 
Squash 
Cornstarch 
Tapioca. 


Character   Training   of    Children 


45 


Fruits: 

Apples 

Oranges 

Bananas,  thoroughly  ripe. 
Gups  of  Stewed  Fruits: 

Baked  apple,  pear  or  peach 

Apple  sauce,  prunes,  etc. 
Oatmeal  or  graham  crackers. 
Plain  cookies. 


Table  of  Heights  and  Weights  of  Children. 
(Issued  by  the  Children's  Bureau,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agricul- 
ture. ) 
The    asterisks   show    a   method    for    recording   the    rela- 
tive height  and  weight  of  the  child.     In  the  examples  given 
below  the  eight  month's  old  child  is  over  weight,  and  the 
five  year  old  child  is  under  weight. 


Age- 


Boys 


Ht. 


Wt. 


Girls 
Ht.        Wt. 


Boys 


Girls 


Birth 

3mos. 

6  mos. 

7mos. 
*8  mos. 

9  mos. 

10  mos. 

11  mos. 

12  mos. 

13  mos. 

14  mos. 

15  mos. 

16  mos. 

17  mos. 

18  mos. 

19  mos. 

20  mos. 

21  mos. 

22  mos. 

23  mos. 

24  mos. 

25  mos. 

26  mos. 

27  mos. 

28  mos. 

29  mos. 

30  mos. 

31  mos. 


20.6 
23^ 
261^ 

27y4 

27% 

28% 

281/2 

29 

29% 

29% 

301/4 

303^ 

siyg 

31% 
31% 
32^ 
325/8 

327/8 

33y4 
335/8 

33% 

34 

341/8 

34% 

35% 

35% 

35% 

351/2 


7.6        20.5 
13  

18 
19% 


25% 
26% 


19%  *27 
20%       275^ 
207^       277^ 
21%       28% 

21%       28% 


22% 
23 


29 
29% 


23%       30% 
24%       30% 


24y2 

24% 


30% 
31% 


25%       31% 
25%       32 


25% 
26% 

27 
27% 


321/4 

325/8 
327/8 
33% 


277^       33% 


28  y4 

29 

29% 

291/4 


33% 
337/8 

34% 
34% 


7.16 

16% 

17% 
18 1/4 

19% 
19% 
*20% 
20% 
21 
21% 
21% 
22% 
22% 
23% 
23% 
24% 
24% 
25% 
255/8 


29%       347/8 
30%       35% 


267/8 
27y4 

27^ 
27% 
27% 
28  y4 
28% 


Age — 


Ht. 


Wt. 


Ht. 


32  mos. 

33  mos. 

34  mos. 

35  mos. 

36  mos. 

37  mos. 

38  mos. 

39  mos. 

40  mos. 

41  mos. 

42  mos. 

43  mos. 

44  mos. 

45  mos. 

46  mos. 

47  mos. 

48  mos. 
*5    yrs. 


6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 


yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 
yrs. 


36 

36% 

36% 

36% 

37% 

37% 

37% 

37% 

38% 

385/8 

38% 

38% 

38% 

39 

39 

39  y4 

39% 
4L6 
43.8 
45.7 
47.8 
49.7 
51.7 
53.3 
55.1 
57.2 
59.9 
62.3 
65.0 


30% 


31% 
31% 

32  y4 
32  y4 

32% 
33% 
33% 
335/8 
33% 
33% 
34y4 
34% 
34% 
35% 
35% 
41.1 
45.2 
49.1 
53.9 
59.2 
65.3 
70.2 
76.9 
84.8 
94.9 
107.1 
121.0 


35% 

35% 

36% 

36% 

36% 

36% 

37 

3714 

37% 

37% 

38 

38  y4 

38% 
38% 
38% 
387/8 
39 

*41.3 
43.4 
45.5 
47.6 
49.4 
51.3 
53.4 
55.9 
58.2 
59.9 
61.1 
61.6 


Wt. 


29 

29% 

30% 

30y4 

30% 

30% 

31 

31% 

32 

32% 

32% 

32% 

33 

*33y4 

33% 
33% 
33% 
39.7 
43.3 
47.5 
52.0 
57.1 
62.4 
68.8 
78.3 
88.7 
98.4 
106.1 
112.0 


Contents 


Pago 

Preface 5 

Responsibilities    of   Parents    - 7 

The  Child  Must  Care  For  His  Own  Person  and  Needs 8-10 

He  Must  Resist  Temptations   11 

He  Must  Help  Maintain  the  Home .12 

He  Must  Respect  the  Property  Rights  of  Others 14 

He  Must  Be  Taught  the  Uses  of  Money 15 

He  Must  Accept  Responsibility  for  His  Acts  16 

His  Dress  and  Ornamentation  Must  Conform  to  Social  Usage 16-17 

He  Must  Develop  Moral  Initiative  17-18 

He  Must  Value    Time    „ 18 

He  Must  Possess  Nervous  Stability  18-19 

Application   of  the  Method  of  Using  the  Positive  or   Objective 

Method  of  Character  Training 19-25 

A  System  of  Scoring  Social  or  Character  Qualities  of  Children 

Over  Four  Years  of  Age 25-29 

Play-Work  of  Children  from  Three  to  Sixty  Months  of  Age 29-35 

Mentality  and  Conditions  Affecting  Its  Development 35-40 

A  System  for  Scoring  the  Home   (See  also  Chart  Fig.  11) 40 

A  System  for  Scoring  Remediable  Diseases  of  Children  (See  also 

Chart  Fig.  11)   40 

Rules  for   Feeding   Infants  and   Children 40-45 

Tables  of  Heights  and  Weights  of  Children 45 


I^  I 

^B                       SCORE    FOK    THE    HOME  Sample         Date 

^^m                                                                        Perfect    Score  Score          Score 

^H  1.  Air:    ventilation,   crowding,    sleeping  alone.-  10  8 

'      2.  Sunlight   in   living   and   sleeping   room 10  8 

3.  Cleanliness   of   house    10  9 

4.  Cleanliness  of  children   10  9 

5.  Cleanliness   of  clothing,   including   diapers 

and    bed    clothing    10  9 

6.  Screens,    flies    and    vermin    10  9 

7.  Garbage     storage     10  7 

8.  Quality  of  water,  of  milk  and  other  food  — 

Cooking    and    conservation    of    foods 10  8  j 

9.  Playmates    and    environment    10  7  | 

10.  Home   training   10  6  i 

100%  80% 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    RECORDING 

Head— Too  large;  too  small;  asymmetrical.  Weight  -Children  under  thr 
without  clothing;  others  in  ordinary  indoor  clothing.  Height  -Without  Shoes. 
Measure  at  nipple  line.  Abdomen— Measure  at  umbilicus.  Intelligence — Schoo 
idiot;  imbecile;  moron. 


Name  of  Child 


Age 


Intelligence 


Shape  of  Head 

Greatest   circumference   of  the   head 

Height 

Weight                                                       1 

Chest            ! 

1                              1  Abdomen                      |                     I 

Name  of  Child 


Age 


Shape  of  Head 

Greatest  circumference  of  the   head 

Height 

Weight 

Chest 

1  Abdomen                      '                     i 

Intelligence 

Name  of  Child 


Age 


Shape  of  Head 

Greatest   circumference  of  the   head 

Height 

Weight 

Chest 

1               1                                                                           1 
1               1                 Abdomen                                          1 

Intelligence 

Name  of  Child 


Age 


Shape  of  Head 


Greatest   circumference  of  the   head 


Height 


Weight 


Chest 


Intelligence 


Abdomen 


Name  of  Child 


Intelligence 


Age 


Shape  of  Head 

Greatest  circumference   of  the   head 

Height 

Weight 

Chest 

1                 Abdomen                                          |                    I 

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Sample  Score 

192... 

192... 

192.... 



192... 

192... 

192... 

1 

192... 

1 

192  .. 

_._. 

.  192.. 

192    . 

192.... 

192... 

192... 

192... 

1 

192... 

■ 

^ 

192..-. 

192.... 

1 

192.... 

192... 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFOKNIA  LIBHARY, 
BERKELEY 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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demand^may  be  renexyed  if  application  is  made  before 

expiration  of  loan  period. 


rivr  30  1923 


20m-l,'22 


^■40425 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


